And best of all, in true Seinfeld-fashion, it's due to SPITE

Armstrong is engaged and contemplating a comeback
Seven-time Tour de France champ says he might ride again.



Cycling champion Lance Armstrong is engaged to rock star Sheryl Crow and is considering coming out of retirement to try for an eighth consecutive Tour de France victory, he told the Austin American-Statesman on Monday.

Since Armstrong and Crow have been living together for 18 months, their engagement may have been expected, though the couple has been dispelling breakup rumors since May.

But a spring wedding followed by a summer Tour?

"I'm thinking about it," Armstrong said. "I'm thinking it's the best way to piss (the French) off."

Armstrong said he has entertained the idea for only the past two weeks. He said he began thinking about it when a French newspaper reported Aug. 23 that he had tested positive six times for a banned blood booster as he was winning his first Tour in 1999.

When asked how serious he was about another Tour, Armstrong said, "I'm exercising every day."

Armstrong has made a career of proving people wrong, winning a record seven Tours after surviving advanced testicular cancer in 1996. And he often is at his best when he's got a motivational chip on his shoulder.

Since the articles appeared in L'Equipe, an all-sports daily newspaper based in Paris, Armstrong has vehemently denied ever using erythropoietin, a blood booster that has been illegally used by cyclists for years.

A French laboratory outside Paris, trying to perfect relatively new testing procedures for EPO, used urine samples provided by Tour cyclists in 1999 in its research. All samples were anonymous and assigned a number, and all were B — or backup — specimens, the A samples having been tested and discarded in 1999.

Armstrong provided 17 urine samples in 1999, representing every day he wore the leader's yellow jersey in the three-week Tour.

Researchers have concluded that EPO can stay in the body and be detected by a urine test for up to one week. According to L'Equipe, which claimed it was able to match up the numbers with the names of the cyclists, Armstrong tested positive six times. It did not mention the other 11 samples.

The International Cycling Union began investigating the matter Aug. 29. The nonprofit regulatory organization, based in Switzerland, is expected to announce its results this week. USA Cycling already has issued a statement supporting Armstrong.

Last April, Armstrong announced that this year's Tour would be his final race. He stayed conservative throughout the Tour, winning only one stage, but still coasted to a 4-minute, 40-second margin of victory over Italy's Ivan Basso.

As for the engagement, Armstrong said he popped the question to Crow on Wednesday while they were vacationing in Sun Valley, Idaho.

"We've told family and friends, stuff like that," he said. Armstrong added that he discussed the engagement with his three children before he asked Crow.

It will be Armstrong's second marriage and Crow's first.

Although still officially retired, Armstrong hasn't been able to spend much time in Austin. He said he will maintain a busy schedule at least through mid-September. Armstrong is set to tape an interview with Oprah Winfrey on Wednesday, and he'll return to Idaho next week to meet with the Dalai Lama.

http://www.statesman.com/sports/content ... lance.html (you have to register)

with bonds having plans of coming back also, im convinced they have found another undetectable steroid

I guess he gets sick of Sheryl Crow just as fast as I do.

Is it still considered a comeback if he only retired yesterday?

agreed

Except that EPO is not a steroid.

sorry...

with bonds having plans of coming back also, im convinced that these two cheatin motherfuckers have found another way to bend the rules w/o getting caught

better?

Yep.

It's just as crazy as when an injured player is listed as "day to day". Aren't we all "day to day"?

The only better excuse for a comeback he could've made is if he said "Sheryl Crow pisses me off".

As it stands, pissing off the French is a damn fine explanation in itself.

Don't you have to miss a season or event to have a "comeback"?

Armstrong to train with team this winter
By JEROME PUGMIRE, AP Sports Writer
September 7, 2005

PARIS (AP) -- Lance Armstrong plans to train with his team this winter, increasing speculation he will end his retirement and attempt an eighth straight Tour de France win.

"It's definitely an open possibility, I know he is on the bike,'' Discovery Channel team director Johan Bruyneel told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Wednesday.

"He absolutely wants to be part of the training camp in December and wants to get fit to compete with the guys there,'' Bruyneel said, adding that Armstrong can decide to return as late as February.

When Armstrong retired in July after his seventh straight Tour win, Bruyneel had to decide whether to recruit a new team leader. He opted not to do so, suggesting the door may have been kept open for the Texan.

"We didn't really look for somebody to replace him,'' Bruyneel said. "For one there is nobody, not a strong leader like he was. Without him we have a very good team ... but not the favorites.''

The Amaury Sport Organization, which organizes the Tour, would not comment on the speculation.

"We will express ourselves only if and when he decides to come out of retirement,'' spokesman Christophe Marchadier said. "There is nothing to stop him coming back on the Tour as a professional cyclist.''

Armstrong, who turns 34 later this month, won this year's Tour by a comfortable margin -- 4 minutes, 40 seconds ahead of Italian Ivan Basso and 6:21 ahead of Jan Ullrich of Germany.

"I'm sure he could win (another Tour),'' Bruyneel said. "The way he won this year ... everything pretty much under control and he never showed any weakness. He has another Tour in his legs yet.''

Armstrong, who announced his engagement Monday to rock singer Sheryl Crow, issued a statement Tuesday confirming that he's considering a comeback in part to rankle French media.

On Aug. 23, sports daily L'Equipe, which is owned by the Tour organizer, reported it had evidence that six of Armstrong's urine samples from the 1999 Tour tested positive last year for the blood booster EPO. The substance was banned in 1999, but there was no reliable test at the time.

"I think he's been very offended,'' Bruyneel said. "If you know him he doesn't need a lot to find some motivation. I think it woke up the competitive side of him.''

Should Armstrong return, the media scrutiny surrounding him would be intense and he would likely receive a hostile reception from the French public.

"He proved in the past that he can deal with that. He is at his maximum under pressure,'' Bruyneel said. "Physically and mentally he can deal with a lot.''

http://sports.yahoo.com/sc/news?slug=ap ... &type=lgns

If he really wants to prove something he should compete in the other cycling events like all the other riders do.

That's not true dude. There are riders who compete in the single day races such as the spring classics. There are riders who do the three major tours: France, Italy, Spain.

There are very few riders who do both. The ones that do are usually riders that have a chance to actually win a one day classic, but have no chance of winning a tour. The only reason these types of riders do tours are as domestiques (servants) to their team leader.

There are NO other riders who are in contention for the TDF that train seriously for any other race.

I won't pretend to know anything about cycling. I can't even figure out the weird air valves on my bike.

**tries to get resting heartbeat to 36 beats per minute like Lance**

Is that really what it is? Fucking insane... I think 50 BPM is considered *very, very* in-shape

It is very in shape.

I raced with a guy who's resting HR was 29, though. Fucking ridiculous.

29!! That's scary. 29 is like having 1 leg in the grave.